1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to telephone systems and more specifically relates to portable phones.
2. Background Art
Since Alexander Graham Bell uttered those famous words “Mr. Watson—come here—I want to see you”, the telephone has evolved into a necessity of modern living. Land-based telephone systems are the most ubiquitous, and have been found in most homes and businesses in the United States for many decades. Recently, wireless phones have gained in popularity. Wireless phones include cellular phones, digital phones, satellite phones, etc. For the purpose of discussion herein, the term “portable phone” applies to any and all types of wireless phones, whether now known or developed in the future.
Despite the convenience of portable phones, there are some definite drawbacks. Having a portable phone does absolutely no good if a person is careless and forgets to take it. For example, if a man forgets his phone in his car as he goes into a store, no matter how urgent a phone call is, there is nothing he can do except wait until he can return to his phone and check his voice mail. A portable phone is also rendered useless when the battery dies. With a dead battery there is no way for him to receive his calls no matter how important they may be. Without a way for portable phone users to receive calls even when they don't have their mobile phones or when their mobile phones are not turned on, users of portable phones will continue to suffer from missed calls when their portable phone is missing or inoperative.